‘Police sided with alleged vigilantes’: Mareeba elder, boys’ families speak out

Elders and family members say police initially “took the (alleged) vigilantes side” despite receiving a triple-0 call from the boys as the trio were allegedly being chased by two men.

Community elder Edward Hastie.

Elders and family members of three boys who were allegedly victims of vigilante arrests in Mareeba say the trio were not trespassing at the time of the incident and police initially “took the (alleged) vigilantes side”, despite receiving a triple-0 call from the youths.

Liam Patrick Chattington, 27, and Jason James Whitehead, 37 both from Bibhoora, are accused of making an illegal citizen’s arrest by chasing down, and tying up three boys with makeshift handcuffs after they say the teens trespassed on private property.

At about 5pm on December 23, 2023, police were called to the intersection of Beams and Reynolds streets in an industrial area of the Tablelands town following reports that three boys aged between 12 and 14 had allegedly been trespassing on a nearby property.

Police allege the men chased the boys and assaulted them before tying them up with makeshift handcuffs.

However, community elder Edward Hastie said the boys were not even trespassing and showed the Cairns Post an area of land that runs through the industrial area that features a creek and parkland, which they say is where the boys were before the alleged illegal citizens arrests was made.

He said the boys were there only to observe the flood impact on the creek.

Mr Hastie said the boys initially rang triple-0 when they were allegedly being chased to report Mr Chattington’s and Mr Whitehead’s alleged actions.

Mr Hastie said that when police contacted the boys’ families, they made no mention of the boys’ triple-0 call, nor of the alleged actions that would later see police lay charges of common assault and deprivation of liberty against the men.

The area around Tiles Street and Chewko road which is ultimately connected to the racecourse and Mareeba tennis club which the boys families say the boys were before they allegedly chased down by the two men.

“They only told us the boys were trespassing,” a family member told the Cairns Post.

“They didn’t tell us the boys were tied up.

“Once we spoke to the boys, we then returned to the police station to press the issue of what had happened to them, and only then it got passed onto a child protection unit who ended up laying charges, not the Mareeba police.”

The family also said the boys were never trespassing and had no reason to be on any of the industrial properties surrounding the creek.

“The police misled us,” the family member said.

“They took the side of the (alleged) vigilantes”.

Mr Hastie said: “The police failed in their duty of care. They had a duty of care to these kids, and they were just focused on non-existent trespass.”

Mr Hastie added that the boys “have never been in trouble with the police”, have no criminal record, are “hardworking students,” and subsequently have not been charged with any offences, including trespass.

Police also confirmed the boys have not been charged with any offences.

Two men have been charged following the alleged assault and deprivation of liberty of three boys in Mareeba. Picture: Google

The elder also blamed politicians, in particular the LNP, for their “tough on law and order” campaign, which he said was creating division in the community.

Mr Hastie added that the boys had been subject to name-calling on social media, with members of the public calling the boys “hooligans” and “little thugs.”

Another family member said the boys had been afraid to walk the streets since the alleged incident.

In a statement the Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said: “As this matter is before court we are unable to comment further.”

Mr Chattington and Mr Whitehead were both charged with three counts, each of common assault and one count of deprivation of liberty.

They will return to Mareeba Magistrates Court on February 19, 2024.

Originally published as ‘Police sided with alleged vigilantes’: Mareeba elder, boys’ families speak out